Dinner was as extravagant as Alpha Axel enjoyed portraying himself as. An entire table filled with the food his pack worked so hard for.. laid out for just the Alpha, Luna, High Priestess, and the guest of honor.
It was a terrible waste, to say the least. As much as Axel attempted to push his agenda onto his guest, it only fueled the Beta's disapproval of the pack. The only reason he hadn't decided to just turn around and leave, was due to Phoebe's demeanor.
The Priestess was kind, and elegant in her own way. Despite the obvious lack of experience in anything other than her craft, she had earned his respect. Leon did not doubt that he was dealing with the real deal.
"Beta Leon! I'm glad you could join us!" Axel had already served himself a full plate, his Luna indulging in an already half empty cup of wine.
"Please, sit. Everything in front of you is delectable, I insist you have your fill, Leon," Luna Viviana practically purred, causing Leon to internally grimace.
"Thank you, Alpha and Luna. I am very grateful for this bountiful feast," Leon managed a polite smile, taking hold of Phoebe's hand and pulling a chair out for her.
"Priestess," Phoebe bit her tongue to try and control her emotions. Her brain was going haywire, and she feared she might get a bit clumsy with the pressure she felt.
The priestess took the seat that was pulled out for her, managing a quiet "thank you," as Leon placed a kiss on her hand and took the seat beside her.
Phoebe was terrified of meeting her Alpha's eyes, knowing only hatred would find her in them. Especially now, with all the attention she was unintentionally receiving from their guest.
"I hope we have been a good host so far," Axel interrupted Phoebe's thoughts with his boisterous voice, "what do you think?"
"Of course, The Priestess has made an especially good impression on me. I am excited for what is to come later tonight." Came the polite response from the Beta who was not very amused by the not so humble display.
"Yes, yes! In due time, we will—"
CRASH
The room went silent, and the tension was almost suffocating. A new employee of the house had tripped over the ridiculous rug surrounding the dinner table, and had dropped a couple of plates, sending them crashing on the floor beside Beta Leon.
"Useless wench!" The Alpha roared, stomping to his feet and approaching the poor girl with every intention to punish her.
"I'm so sorry, Alpha! I will clean it! I'm so sorry!" The girl sobbed, cowering in fear by her mess.
"Please, stop!" Phoebe came to her feet and placed herself between the Alpha and employee, shielding the girl with her body. "I will help her clean. Please leave the girl alone!"
The Priestess was trembling in fear, however she knew no harm would come to her at this very moment. Perhaps once the Beta took his leave, but there was too much at stake for Axel. She was confident he would not strike her at this very moment.
Axel grunted, as if he knew what what Phoebe was thinking and understood. He looked over at the employee and grit his teeth to contain his anger.
"Clean this mess up quickly." He commanded before turning his attention to Leon, a smile washing over the frown that had been on his lips only a moment ago.
"Let's give her time to clean, and in the meantime.." He glanced over at Phoebe with a smirk, "You can finally witness the Goddess's power within this girl."
Leon was disgusted by the entire interaction that he had just witnessed, and was relieved the Alpha had decided to move up the main event. He didn't care for this silly dinner, and would definitely not be returning for a round 2.
"That sounds like a good idea," Leon nodded, standing up from his seat and kneeling beside the employee who was still cowering. "Please be careful, we will take our time. I would not want you to cut yourself on the shards." He whispered to her, hoping to cushion the distress she must be feeling at the moment.
"Let us make our way to your vision room."